Flyweight Antonina Shevchenko, sister of UFC star and women’s 125lb champ Valentina “Bullet” Shevchenko, has announced her retirement from MMA.
The 40-year old made her decision known on social media on Thursday, revealing that she would be focusing her piloting career moving forward.
While she’ll be hitting heights in the aviation industry, Shevchenko (10-4) made it to the top promotion in mixed martial arts when she joined the UFC in 2018 off an appearance on Dana White’s Contender Series that June. She went on to post a 4-4 record inside the octagon, with wins over Ariane Lipski and Lucie Pudilova among them.
Shevchenko last saw action in 2022, when she secured a victory over Cortney Casey.
In her farewell message to fans, Shevchenko wrote “Dear friends! I didn’t have the opportunity to leave my gloves in the octagon by tradition, I didn’t think my fight in UFC in 2022 would be the last. ‘I am leaving my gloves’ in this post.”
“La Pantera” went on to state “30 years in sport, black belt 3rd dan in Taekwondo, 11 World Champion titles in Muay Thai, Kickboxing and MMA. More than 400 fights in amateurs and professionals, Asian and South American Champion, UFC fighter. This is how I finish my career in professional sport. Of course, martial arts continue to be big part of my life but in different way. It’s time to be focused on the next page – my career as a pilot. My heart and my head are completely filled with airplanes and sky and it’s hard to express how happy I am that aviation has come into my life!”
“A professional fighter lives a full exciting life, filled with hard work, awards, travels, difficulties, victory celebrations. And it is hard to find another path you love that will be same intense and fulness, filled with action, constant learning, hard work and celebration of achievements. Aviation is this treasure for me!”
Antonina Shevchenko signed off by thanking her mother, coach, UFC President and CEO Dana White, UFC matchmaker Mick Maynard, and saying she’d work hard to raise her son as a decent person before urging fans to continue rooting for her sister.
